Game Over for Textbooks! Easily Find, Make and Share Lessons Online

What YouTube is to videos, Schoolfy is to lessons. Schoolfy knowledge capsules help teachers defeat budget and time constraints.
(June 10, 2014)

PALO ALTO, Calif., June 10, 2014 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- What if ordinary classrooms could access extraordinary learning material for free? Teachers would save time, students would be more engaged, and education would be more effective. This vision is now reality with Schoolfy's unique knowledge-sharing technology. The Internet company released its beta version last week at Schoolfy.com. Crowdfunding is already underway at Indiegogo to help Schoolfy reach more teachers and learners.

What inspired Schoolfy? "Textbooks and e-books are static and confining media," explains the company's co-founder and CEO Oscar Civantos. "A teacher can't easily customize a book for different learners. They can't revise it with updated knowledge. Teachers worldwide spend countless hours and their own funds adapting and supplementing materials to meet learners' needs."

Teachers in the US, where Schoolfy is based, are in a bind as they prepare for autumn classes. New Common Core learning standards must be met, but not all textbook publishers have adjusted their lessons accordingly. Furthermore, textbooks aren't affordable to all districts.

Civantos also points out that paper-based learning can be demanding of Mother Nature and a stress on kids' backs.

Schoolfy Makes It Easy to Move beyond Textbooks

What YouTube is to videos, Schoolfy is to lessons, to knowledge capsules. Schoolfy capsules are easy to create or to simply re-use. They can hold not only personal lesson files, but also Internet content: breaking news videos and articles, expert lectures, tutorials, assessments and more.

Schoolfy's integration with the Internet means that teachers can easily enhance textbook chapters or create lessons from scratch -- with pertinent online material.

They can also use Schoolfy's capsule publisher to create online tests that are scored automatically.

"Millions of Micro-Social Networks"

Launching excellent educational technology in 2013 was the original plan but as Schoolfy developed, the possibility of creating revolutionary edtech became apparent. Civantos says, "We saw the opportunity to be highly disruptive, to shake up the education industry. We stopped our machinery and let ourselves think way outside the box. The result frees teachers to move beyond textbooks, to present relevant material that is as engaging as it is accessible, and to build lesson portfolios they can later re-use, alter or share."

Sharing is key to Schoolfy's revolutionary potential. Teachers can email private capsules, share lessons beautifully via social media, and embed capsules within their own webpages or commercial learning platforms. They can reach students where they already are; you don't need to be at Schoolfy.com to see its content. Civantos explains, "Each SLIC (Schoolfy Lesson Interactive Capsule) is a portable micro-social-network. It's identified by the knowledge it contains, and it can be shared with others. Schoolfy is equipped to host millions of micro-social networks simultaneously."

The capsule technology isn't just revolutionary for formal teachers and tutors. "Schoolfy Beta was originally conceived as a tool for teachers, but it's an ideal way for anyone to share information in a good-looking, organized and comprehensive way."

Schoolfy Crowdfunding at Indiegogo.com

Schoolfy's web application was released last week at Schoolfy.com. The founders bootstrapped its development and secured support from angel investors who share their respect for education and for educators. To continue evolving in this way, Schoolfy has launched an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign. Says Civantos, "Crowdfunding helps keep the spirit that Schoolfy is for the world community."